Treacherous Heart
by NeedForChange22
Summary: She needed to run. That treacherous heart of hers was threatening to pull apart again and only the dull repetition of running would calm it down.
1. Chapter 1

Just felt like writing and this is what came out.

-NeedForChange22

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_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEE---_

The clock flew into the wall, shattering into bits and pieces as it fell to the floor. Hermione groaned. It was 5:00 AM. Time for her morning run. She looked out the window; it looked chilly outside.

She changed into some spandex pants, a sports bra, and a tank top. She pulled a hooded sweatshirt over her tank top and grabbed her trainers. Once her shoes were secured on her sock covered feet, she grabbed a bright orange bottle from her nightstand and shoved it into her sweatshirt's pocket. She headed downstairs towards the entrance to Hogwarts. Halfway through passing the entrance to the Great Hall, Hermione stopped dead in her tracks.

A melodious laugh echoed in the hallway.

It was impossible; what was _she_ doing up this early?

Hermione tried to convince her head not to look but her heart betrayed her. Hadn't it been torn to enough pieces? Her eyes roamed the hallway for the owner of that delicious laugh. Seconds later hazel eyes settled on the shapely figure of Ginevra Weasley laughing at something she was reading from The Quibbler in her hand while popping a blueberry in her mouth at the Gryffindor table.

Her own mouth went dry. Seeing the fiery temptress in such a state of joy nearly brought tears to her eyes. She stifled a sob, but the other woman's head whipped to her direction, all mirth gone from her face.

No, on Ginny Weasley's face was… regret?

Her heart fell to her gut and didn't resurface. She had to fight for a breath and leaned on a pillar to steady herself until her heart could begin beating normally again. Ginny's eyes never left her form.

It didn't.

She coughed to try and upstart her heart again. Nothing; that wretched thing remained still underneath her bosom. She pounded at it with a fist weakly. Still silence. She could feel herself getting dizzy. Her potion, where was her potion?!

Frantically, she jammed her hand into her right pocket. She couldn't inhale. Her heart still wasn't finding its natural rhythm within her chest. It had never lasted this long before…

Her fingers and lips were going blue from lack of oxygen. Her legs buckled underneath her. Her mind was going fuzzy.

_No, Hermione! Fight it! Fight it please!_

Finding her hand empty when she pulled it out, Hermione anxiously thrust her left hand into her other pocket. She felt her fingers grasp the familiar bottle she kept on her person for this occasion alone.

Pulling the stopper from the top of the bottle, she downed its contents without so much as a thought. Her back against the pillar, her legs folded awkwardly underneath her. She waited. The edges of her vision were darkening and she thought that she had been too late, that it finally had caught up with her. Until…

_Thump, thump… ... Thump, thump…_

Barely. But it was there and she knew she would be able to breathe again.

She sucked in a large gulp of air into her desperate lungs. This time she could feel it inside.

_Thump, Thump. Thump, Thump. Thump, Thump._

The feeling to her fingers came back. Her legs still felt like jelly but she forced herself to stand. She didn't notice the red head next to her, looking at her fearfully.

"What the bloody hell just happened to you, Mione?! One minute you're walking by and the next you're practically suffocating!" A warm hand put itself gently on her covered shoulder.

_Not again._

She shrugged the fake compassion away, along with the hand resting on her. Still her heart believed in it and began its irregular beating once again. She had to get away.

She let the anger flow through her, allowing herself this brief moment of emotion for the day.

"It's none of your business, Ginny!" Hermione snapped angrily, her hazel eyes smoldering in their rage.

The red head stepped back, surprised at the malice in the older witch's tone. She stood there, mouth open like a fish as her brain tried to think of something to say.

Hermione didn't need this today. No, in fact, what she needed was a run.

Ignoring her heart's frantic pumping to try and get her to change her mind, Hermione walked swiftly out the door and onto the grounds in the chilly air.

She kept walking quickly until she could see the Quidditch pitch in sight. Ah, relaxation.

She erased her mind of all thought and just ran. She ran, and ran, and ran. She was unreachable. She was a machine of diligence. She kept running. She ran until her feet ached. Until her mind was less foggy. Until her lungs begged her for a break. Her foggy mind drifted to the encounter in the hallway.

She would have to ask Madam Pomfrey for another potion. That meant more questions and more tests.

_How did it start? Where were you? Who were you near? What were you thinking about when it happened? How long did it last?_

All these questions had to be answered and catalogued so that she may try to find something to help her, something to cure her.

There was little study or knowledge on the affliction she had, though plenty had claimed it had been the death of them.

She had never believed it before she had learned she had it. Before…

_ENOUGH!_ Her mind screamed at her anxious heart. Just the thought had put it pounding more wildly, bringing her to a stop to let it calm down. It was then that she noticed the pounding of feet that were not her own. Someone was behind her, and by the sounds of it struggling to keep up. She turned around.

"Mione!" Ginny said out of breath, her name coming out like a gasp instead of an exclamation. She slowed to a stop in front of the brunette and bent over to catch her breath. Hermione's heart started its odd _thu, thu, thump… thu, thu, thump…_

Oh, this dreaded heart. Why couldn't it just stop already and get it over with?

She scowled angrily, her previous anger coming back eagerly in waves. This was her time to ready herself for a day of pain. Who did Ginny think she was interrupting it?

"What do you want, Weasley?" She half shouted. Her arms were folded in front of her chest in a defensive manner. It was a habit she had formed after learning of her disease. She had once hoped that by doing this she could protect her heart from any future pain. Now, after accepting the inevitable reality of it all, the posture was more comforting than anything.

The red headed girl winced at her words. She then put on a brave face and looked into lifeless, angry hazel eyes.

"I want to know what's wrong with you! And yes it is my bloody business!"

If possible, Hermione's anger flared even higher. "And what in the world makes you think that after everything I owe you any explanation, Ginevra?" She said darkly, not raising her voice.

Angry hazel met astonished and ashamed sapphire.

The younger woman's head bowed slightly. "I… You don't. I was just curious."

The older woman laughed menacingly. "You were just curious? I'll ignore that outright lie and instead tell you. Hopefully you'll feel some actual remorse for the murder you committed."

The red head brought her head up, her facial expression one of doubt. She thought Hermione was joking now, didn't she? Well, she was in for a surprise.

"What do you mean, the murder I committed? I've never done more than a Bat-Bogey to anyone!" The red head exclaimed wildly, her arms flailing at the accusation.

Hermione just stood waiting. "Oh, you committed murder all right. You committed murder when you kissed me for the first time in the Room of Requirement, when you held my hand in hallways and kissed me on the cheek before classes. When you announced me to your friends as your girlfriend, you massacred. You committed murder when you made love to me for the first time and every time after that. You, Ginevra Molly Weasley, assassinated like a Hit Wizard when I caught your legs wrapped around Harry bloody Potter's waist."

She didn't let Ginny get a word in edgewise. She continued. "You killed me from the very moment I fell in love with you. You were a death sentence from the moment I laid eyes on you."

The woman to whom she was speaking scoffed.

"That's what this is about? You're mad because I cheated on you? That was months ago Mione. You have to get over it. If it makes you feel better you know I'm not with Harry anymore."

Hermione sighed. She didn't get it. Ginny didn't understand what she was trying to say. She had to try a different way, for she had precious months left and she didn't want to die wondering 'what if?'

"I'm not jealous Gin. I never was."

Her treacherous heart thumped wildly again at her name. After all this time the truth was going to come out.

Ginny stood looking perplexed and exasperated. "Then tell me how in the hell am I a sodding killer?!"

Hermione closed her eyes. This would be easier to say without seeing the emotions swirling in the blue orbs.

"I'm dying, Ginny." Her heart pounded hysterically at her ribs, begging to be rid of her. Begging to give itself physically over to the red head. As if giving the woman the rest of her self wasn't enough. Treacherous heart.

The gasp was all she heard.

"Wha'… How?"

This was the right question to ask. She opened her eyes. A smile came to her lips. It was a small one; a smile reserved for only the one who had put her in this position.

"You. Madam Pomfrey and the Healers at St. Mungo's diagnosed me at Christmas hols. It's my heart, Gin. You literally broke my heart."

It was so horrible to say aloud that all Hermione could do was laugh at the absurdness of it.

For her, Hermione Jean Granger, to die of something so illogical, was absurd.

Ginny looked at her as if she had grown a second head. "That's impossible. Even with magic, that's impossible."

The grin remained in place even though she stopped laughing. "Surely you've heard of Broken Heart Syndrome Ginny? Every little girl knows the myth. You fall in love with someone so perfect for your soul that if that person ends up leaving, your heart can no longer function on its own. It is literally broken away from its soulful counterpart and the outcome is always fatal. No one alive knows much about it since the last documented case was almost 700 years ago. There's less than 10 surviving texts on the subject, two of which are believed to be lost in the First Wizarding War and the ones that we do have are poorly written. But the point is that yes, you actually can break someone's heart."

While she struggled to keep her breathing regulated, Hermione drank in Ginny's features. Shock was prevalent. Sapphire orbs stood locked on her own hazel, unable to look away. She seemed unable to say anything at the moment. She continued in her greedy gaze.

Full pink lips were shaped in an 'O' shape, and Hermione could see a wet pink tongue behind straight white teeth. Gods, the nights she had doing battle with that tongue, with those legs wrapped around her, that voice throatily moaning her name…

Her heart almost fell again at the memory. At the tearing sensation that signified her heart ripping further away from her spiritual soul. She cursed under her breath as she staggered back a step.

Ginny snapped out of her shock and moved forward to grab the brunette. Hermione backed away as if burned. Her breathing was ragged.

"Please," she said imploringly. "Don't touch me." It would surely rip completely away from her if Ginny touched her. It would be death. Hermione didn't want to die.

The red head's outstretched arm was frozen midair, and she let it drop to her side awkwardly as Hermione fought to bring her raging heart to normal.

_You blasted thing… Why can't you just act like you're not sick for once?_

She finally gained loose control of herself. She had said her piece. Ginny now knew what her actions had caused. This was no normal teenage crush. She had killed Hermione with her betrayal and now Hermione was paying the price of true love.

She didn't need to stay. Didn't need to watch the pity flash across her beloved's features. She most certainly didn't need to hear the false words Ginny would undoubtedly say to her, the whispered words of '_Let me help you'_ and of '_I can try to fix it'. _

She turned around and started walking away from that woman. That woman that, had she stayed, would have given her hope only to disappoint her once again.

She wouldn't get her hopes up. Healers from around the world had come to observe her and try their hand at curing her ailment. None had succeeded. She refused to hold a shred of hope that the person who had put her in this position in the first place would try to help her now.

"Mione!" The voice behind her said loudly. She stopped her stride but didn't turn around.

"How…" The red head paused, unable to speak. "How long…?" It seemed she couldn't get the horrid question out. No matter; Hermione knew what it was she was asking.

"They give me maybe two months."

And then without looking back, Hermione Granger walked calmly back to the castle and got ready for classes, though inside her heart kept beating wildly to one irregular drum.

_Ginny… Ginny… Ginny…_


	2. Chapter 2

More story vomit. :/

**Disclaimer:** J.K. Rowling owns everything but the pairing.

-NeedForChange22

* * *

"All right quills down. Please form a line in front of my desk and turn in your tests. Remember, no talking until you walk out of this room." The instructor said dully, his eyes not even glancing up as his words registered to the students who frantically tried to scribble a few more words on the paper before standing up.

Hermione Grainger waited in line silently and turned her final NEWT exam in to the instructor. This was it; she was finally done with school forever. Not that it mattered anyway. Madam Pomfrey had sadly explained that she had a month, at most, before her heart failed for its final time. Now that she had fulfilled her goal of finishing schooling, Hermione had other plans to follow through with before the end came.

Swiftly she walked back to her Head Girl rooms to find that the house elves had already packed her bags for her. Leaving a note addressed to Dobby explaining her thanks on her old desk, she shrunk her luggage and put it in her pocket. She made sure that she had a few extra potions in her left pocket before heading outside. Nowadays she had to take it religiously at breakfast, lunch, and dinner in order to properly function.

She was almost to the edge of the wards before she heard someone speak.

"Where are you going?" Ginny asked quietly.

Her heart started its frantic beating and Hermione swore. She fished around in her pocket, took hold of a potion and downed it within seconds.

"Rome, if you must know." She replied dully, not even bothering to stop her movements.

"Hermione, please…Wait for a minute?"

How could she deny her? Grudgingly, she slowed to a stop and turned around, only to see Ginny walking quickly toward her. She stopped before the older witch, but was close enough that Hermione could feel the shorter woman's breath on her neck. Merlin, she was too close.

She tried to back away, but before she had taken a step the red head's hand reached out and grabbed her upper arm, holding her tight enough to keep a grip but not hard enough to hurt.

The skin on Hermione's arm burned as if hexed. Its heat traveled through the rest of her body and when it got to her heart it nearly exploded within her chest. She took a deep breath to calm it, soothe it. The touch alone was searing her skin. It felt like someone were tearing her flesh away from the bone.

So focused was she on the pain that Hermione didn't notice her counterpart edge closer until she looked up into startling crystal blue eyes that were staring back centimeters away.

"What do you want now?" She managed to breathe out; the exhale on Ginny's face causing the red head to blink quickly.

The younger witch just looked straight back into hazel eyes and spoke softly.

"I wanted to ask a favor."

If she weren't almost ready to pass out from the pain, Hermione would've laughed in the red head's face. "What else could I possibly give you or do for you that you haven't already taken from me?" She said quietly, no longer angry but defeated.

For a moment Ginny seemed to actually act guilty before her eyes shone again with that renewed Gryffindor courage. She put her free hand on Hermione's cheek, where it too began to burn a hole through the brunette's skin. Only this time, the pain was different, changing into ice instead of fire. Her nerve endings were shot and all she could focus on were the sapphire orbs in front of her. Her heart kept beating, thumping erratically to that same beat.

_Ginny, Ginny, Ginny_…

"This…" Ginny whispered as her face came closer to the older witch's.

Then it happened.

Soft lips touched her own and Hermione's heart began to bounce around her ribcage wildly. It seemed to rejoice in the feel of its soul mate being so close almost as much as Hermione begged for her to move away. Surely, any second her heart would rip again further from her soul and decrease the precious time she had left…

She stood stock still as Ginny's lips continued to move softly against her own, placing chaste kisses one after another on them while she waited for the crippling pain of her heart tearing that would inevitably come. Instead of it arriving her heart seemed to shudder inside of her before it pounded harder, pushing frantically against the string of life connecting her to earth.

She found the place within her where her heart was drastically trying to hold onto her soul, and instead of her soul attempting to pull farther away from the pain of Ginny's kiss, it appeared to be hesitantly moving closer to her heart. When it moved close enough to touch a torn piece of what used to be their joined whole, her soul tentatively touched the part of her that loved Ginny, and it mended a fraction of the gaping hole within, pulling her heart and soul together in a place that she hadn't felt in months now. Her chest vibrated with the joining, small as it was, before she felt immense pleasure flow within her.

She gasped at the sensation, feeling Ginny pause in her movements on her lips. She just stared at the red head in astonishment. How could that have just happened? None of the literature expressed that the heart and soul could mend one another together again, even if it was only a fraction. The resounding result of becoming afflicted with the disease was that your soul eventually tore away from your body; too wounded from the pain it endured to bear the living world any longer.

Hermione just continued to stare, open-mouthed, unable to believe what just happened.

Ginny seemed to take her actions as something else entirely though, and began to back away slowly. The sting of the rejection hurt more than she cared to admit. But if she were to be honest with herself, Ginny would have conceded that she never truly gave up on the idea of she and Hermione. That rejection, though, seemed to solidify it in her mind's eye.

The defeated red head turned around and began trudging sadly back the way she came. She had only walked a few steps before Hermione had roughly grabbed her wrist and turned her around in her spot, forcing her to come face to face with the rejection from only moments ago. Only…it wasn't rejection or guilt showing on her ex-lover's face. It was unequivocal joy, astonishment, and happiness all in one, along with a few other emotions she couldn't yet place.

Hermione continued looking at Ginny, her hand still grasping the red head's wrist. Without warning the older woman rushed forward, released her wrist and held her face in her hands. She looked down into her eyes before she slowly descended her lips upon Ginny's.

This kiss was nothing short of amazing. It was unlike the one Ginny had just stolen from Hermione minutes ago, whispering apologies and regret along heated lips. No, this kiss was exalting, liberating, toe-curling; so full of emotion and passion that she stepped back a bit at the force of it. It held emotions of disbelief, love, and passion all at the same time. When Hermione's tongue ran across her lower lip asking entrance Ginny stifled a moan that threatened to emerge and instead granted this sultry woman access.

Ginny's arms wound their way around Hermione's neck, pulling her closer while Hermione's hands seemed at ease on the red head's hips. They kissed like their lives depended on it. To Hermione she imagined it did. The way Hermione's lips and tongue moved with her own literally took Ginny's breath away. Her hands wound their way through Hermione's hair, tugging on the luscious strands lightly towards her.

During the entire heated exchange, Hermione could feel the same event taking place within her except at a slightly faster pace. An old part of her soul that she had lost in the beginning tenderly fastened itself back to her heart loosely like a thread holding two pieces of fabric together but hadn't been tightened to pull them together more closely.

The connection was terribly weak, but it was back. It was back! Hermione could cry in happiness but found that as she pulled away from Ginny there was already wetness on her cheeks. She laughed at the miracle that had just taken place, not once but twice, and looked to Ginny in unexpected joy.

The younger witch just looked at her through half closed lids, chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. The kiss had surprised her and had left her knees feeling weak. She untangled her hands out of Hermione's hair only to hold on to the brunette's shoulders to make sure she didn't fall over. She caught her breath and looked at Hermione with curious incredulity.

"What was _that_ for?" The red head asked startled.

Hermione laughed, this time with an ease Ginny hadn't seen in her since they had been together. _God, how she missed that smile_…

"It was a test, which I think I passed. I'm not going to tell you what or why yet until I go to Madam Pomfrey and get confirmation."

Ginny still stood in front of her, resting her upper half on Hermione. The brunette withdrew from the red head and made to walk towards the castle.

"Well, I'm coming with you then!" The younger witch yelled from behind.

She only gave a small smile and slowed her pace before calling back. "Okay."

The two walked to the castle and made quick work of walking towards the infirmary. Hermione walked into the ward with Ginny on her heels as she peeled each curtain away from its bed looking for the healer.

Towards the end of her search she found the old witch administering a Pepper Up potion to a sick looking third year. When she noticed the upper year students waiting for her, she hurried to finish her task and shooed the girls to her office.

Hermione waited until Madame Pomfrey instructed them to sit and sat across from them before she even looked at the older woman. She looked ragged, as if Hermione's disease was weighing her down too.

"What's got you two so riled up that you have to storm into my infirmary like a couple of children?" The witch asked quickly, directing her question to the youngest Weasley.

Ginny shrugged. "I don't know, ma'am. Hermione said she had to see you immediately. I'm just along for the walk."

Upon hearing the response the witch turned toward the Head Girl.

"Okay, Hermione, what's going on? What's wrong? Is it… you know?" The woman asked carefully, obviously observing that Ginny could or could not be aware of Hermione's disease.

Hermione leaned forward in her seat; her eyes alight in a way that Ginny had not seen in months. Seeing her in this way again made Ginny's heart thump anxiously in her chest. How she just wanted to kiss those lips again…

Hermione interrupted her thoughts with a vigorous nod.

"It is. I was just getting ready to leave after my final NEWTS, and Ginny came up to me to ask me where I was going. I told her, and then we kissed. Instead of it ripping away more of me inside, though, _it sewed a bit back together_."

Ginny's eyes almost bugged out of her skull. Why would Hermione tell the healer something so personal? She could feel her cheeks flaming up in embarrassment. She quickly looked at the elderly witch frantically, waiting for the admonishment to come.

Madame Pomfrey was floored. Her mouth was agape and her entire posture was stiff.

"What do you mean, 'it sewed a bit back together' Ms. Granger? Surely not what I think you mean?" She spoke slowly, as if she were talking to a child.

Hermione looked excited again, disregarding the tone.

"I mean, when Ginny kissed me, I felt it inside. My soul was patched back to my heart a bit. Not much, mind you, but enough for me to notice it. Madame Pomfrey, it was… unlike anything I've ever felt before."

The healer stared at Hermione disbelievingly.

"That's impossible. None of the books mention anything of the sort. It must have been a fluke, some sort of last ditch attempt by your body to keep you living."

Hermione's excitement grew further and her smile widened so far that Ginny was sure it would have hurt to keep it that wide. None of the conversation was making sense; she'd have to have Hermione explain it to her later.

"It wasn't a fluke, professor. After Ginny started walking away I ran and kissed her again, and _it happened again_. The second time it happened faster though, like the soul had actually learned from its first attempt."

Madame Pomfrey looked even further astonished. She too leaned forward in her seat, and Ginny followed suit. This seemed important somehow but she didn't know why.

"Impossible…" The healer whispered to no one in particular.

Upon glancing at Hermione, Ginny noted that the brunette was clenching her teeth, almost in nervousness.

Hermione leaned even further forward.

"Perform the test, Madame Pomfrey… Please. I need to see if it's real… if I'm not just imagining it…" Hermione asked, almost pleaded with the healer.

The elderly woman raised her wand with a shaking hand.

"_Revealus pectanimus._" She said with a wavering tone. Ginny was staring at Hermione, waiting for something, anything.

The brunette just sat as still as a board, waiting as well.

Seconds passed. A silvery figure fluidly came from somewhere inside Hermione's chest and swirled lazily in front of the brunette, not taking a particular shape. Suddenly a red hued mist came from where Hermione's heart lie and floated towards the silvery mist.

The red mist solidified to a transparent three-dimensional picture of Hermione's heart, beating, as no doubt the brunette's real heart did. Another mist floated from Hermione, this time in the form of a blue tinted thread. The silver rotated around the red see-through heart, almost as if orbiting it by some unknown gravity. Some of the silver touched the heart and some of it was yards away from it. Where the silver and red were touching, the blue wound its way through the edges, pulling the two colors tightly to each other. Then, in a small way, the blue thread hesitantly wound through two different spots that hadn't yet touched but were very close to one another. The thread was the loosest in those two spots.

Ginny was in awe of the picture created in front of her. Was this what Hermione's disease looked like? Was this what she had done to the brunette? Most of the silver stuff was so far away from the symbolic heart that Ginny didn't know why it was in the picture at all. She looked to Madame Pomfrey for an explanation, but didn't find one.

Instead the elderly witch just looked on at the image in incredible disbelief.

"How could that be?! None of the books mention anything about this…" She continued muttering under her breath, no doubt about things Ginny didn't understand. She angled her eyes to Hermione.

The brunette's eyes sparkled with hope. The elderly healer finished the spell and the image faded away. She looked animatedly into Hermione's hazel eyes.

"There's nothing in the texts about this. You know as well as I do Hermione that there's no reference to this occurrence. There is no medical advice I can give you other than possibly keep doing… that and see where it leads you."

Both girls' cheeks heated with a blush. Hermione now turned her attention to Ginny shyly.

"Ginny, you don't have to… I know things between us aren-"

The red head cut her off abruptly. "No, Hermione. If it can help you get better, I'll do it."

Sapphire orbs met hazel in an intense gaze. Hermione looked away bashfully.

Madame Pomfrey cleared her throat awkwardly.

"Well, then ladies, I think I must get going. Dear Mr. Creevey won't be able to heal his own arm. I suggest you get going as well." And with that the woman ushered the girls out of her office and infirmary.

In the hallway, both girls looked down at the floor nervously. Ginny needed to have more answers so she spoke up.

"'Mione, do you think you could explain all that stuff you and Madame Pomfrey talked about in there? It went over my head." She said hesitantly.

Hermione looked at her now, but Ginny kept her eyes downcast.

"Sure. Let's go to the Room of Requirement." She said slowly.

The girls walked to the room in question with Ginny letting the brunette lead to determine its design. When the door appeared, Hermione opened it to allow the red head in first.

Ginny stepped in to see a fireplace, a large plush sofa, and a coffee table in front of the sofa with a plate of sandwiches on it. Both girls sat down on the sofa.

Hermione looked at her while casually grabbing two sandwiches and offering the other girl one.

"What do you want to know?" The brunette asked between bites.

Ginny swallowed the bite in her mouth before replying. "Just what that spell and picture mean. Oh, and what you said to Madame Pomfrey before that."

Hermione finished her food.

"The reason I'm dying is because my soul can't handle the physical pain of being on earth without the returning love of its other half. Because of that it's ripping away from my body, or my heart for all intents and purposes. When we kissed, my soul sort of reattached itself in a couple of spots to my body. The spell and image show a standing vision of how far along the disease is."

Ginny pondered this information as she studied Hermione's features in the firelight. She was worrying her bottom lip between her teeth, almost as if she was nervous of Ginny's reaction. The red head put her hand gently on top of the brunette's in a comforting gesture.

"Hermione I meant what I said. I'll do whatever you want me to do to help get you better."

Hazel eyes locked onto her sapphire. A shy smile made its way on her mouth. Hermione glanced down her face, no doubt to her lips. The thought made Ginny unconsciously dart her tongue out to moisten them. She heard a faint moan come from the brunette's throat, the noise making desire shoot to her core. She leaned forward on the couch, steadying herself by resting her hand on Hermione's thigh.

Hermione, too, leaned in towards Ginny. Lips brushed together in a chaste manner.

Again, Hermione felt the gentle tug within of her two separating spiritual parts that signaled their slow mending. She was still astounded at the feeling of turning whole again, no matter how little it was.

The kiss continued in soft waves, soft tugs turned to passionate embraces, then back to gentle pecks, and repeated itself for some moments until both women had to break apart to catch her breath. After slowing her heart down, Hermione tentatively rested her head on Ginny's chest, not sure how far the red head would allow her to go before calling the entire operation off.

Instead of pushing her away as she thought would happen, Ginny wrapped an arm around the brunette's shoulders and allowed her to nestle herself into the red head more comfortably.

"Ginny, did you mean what you said? About doing anything?" Hermione asked hesitantly.

The red head squeezed her shoulders gently as assurance. "Yes. Why?"

She fidgeted a little; her nerves were getting the best of her. Her heart was beating madly in her chest, pleading with her to ask the question already.

"Do you…" She cleared her throat anxiously. "Do you think we could start over? I mean, you know, together? If you don't, I'll understand…I mean I won't really but I'll accept it and try diff—" A hand clamped softly over her rambling mouth.

"I'd love to. If you don't hate me after everything I've done to you, that is." The red head suddenly thought her shoes were very interesting.

One of the brunette's hands brought her face upwards to gaze into hazel eyes containing mirth.

"Do you think I would have kissed you if I didn't still love you, Weasley? I'm not a whore, you know."

Ginny smiled at the statement before bringing their lips together again. When they separated Ginny broke into a grin.

"So we're going to try then?" Hermione asked wistfully, hopefully.

Ginny nodded. "We are, love."


End file.
